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Get this guy an XXXXL BCD
Chile has a secret. Though most people think of the Andes Mountains when it comes to Chile, this country’s 6,400km of pristine coastline acts as a gateway to some of the best cold-water diving in the world. The Humboldt Current whisks by Chile’s coast, creating plankton-rich waters that offer neon soft corals, towering sponges, tie-dyed starfish, flower corals, snappy crabs, playful sea-lions, historical wrecks and plenty of fish for divers to relish.
Scuba divers embrace the waters off the coast from Puerto Montt in the south to Arica in the north, though the most popular dive spots reach from Arica to La Serena on the north coast where the water is warmer and the fish are more prolific. Visibility ranges from 10-20m and water temperatures from 11-14°C (don’t worry, the air is a lot warmer!)
Many dive sites are shore-entry. Chilean beaches are easily accessible and usually have similar characteristics: a small sandy bay capped at both end by cliffs. The bottom of the sea alternates between sand and large boulders, with a cash crop of seaweed sprouting from the cracks and crevices. Chile’s secret status as a dive haven means that less divers visit these waters, resulting in incredibly healthy and abundant flora and fauna.
The most common places for scuba diving in Chile are:
North Region
The north region is perhaps the most popular area to dive in Chile. Divers of all skills levels will find amazing sites to explore. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the water is warmer here, too. Some sites include:
The Cauldron of Death – With a name like this, it’s got to be good. This combo wall/cave dive is strictly for advanced divers only. The shore entry to the site needs to be timed since heavy surge occurs every few minutes. Max depth is 35m but average viz is 30m. The cave is fun to explore while the wall provides a natural canvas for an enormous amount of marine growth which, in turn attracts large schools of fish. And when your dive day is done, you can brag to your other dive buddies that you survived the…Cauldron of Death.
Roca Chungungo – This reef/wall dive site has little current and offers something for all levels of scuba divers. Novices can stay and play on the shallow reef while more advanced divers can descend down to the depths, which bottom out at 47m. Average viz is only 15m, but behold what might pop out of the gloom: otters and sea lions frequent this spot, and are known to follow divers around.
Islands of Chile
Offshore, the waters get warmer and the diving gets hotter. There is a rich variety of fish in the clear waters surrounding the islands. Among the many species to be spotted, divers can find moray, vidriola, cod-fish, pampanito, breca and corvine. Juan Fernandez Archipelago boasts several sites, including some surrounding Robinson Crusoe Island (the Chileans are really good at naming dive sites to entice you to visit.)
By far the most famous of the Chilean islands to dive is Easter Island, known for its towering (dormant) volcanoes and enormous, awe-inspiring Maoi stone statutes. At 2,300 miles offshore, this island is a unique retreat resting on an underwater volcanic ridge which supports over 100 species of tropical and pelagic fish and 144 species of algae. There are no coral reefs but several coral species do grow around the island. About 20% of the marine flora and fauna found there is endemic to Easter Island.
Leveraging one of the island’s dive guides is a must: currents can change rapidly and many dive sites are hard to locate. The Island’s better known diving sites include: Jardin, Omohi, Motu Kao Kao, Motu Nui, Motu Iti, El Puente (The Bridge), El Acantilado (The Cliff) and the Anakena and Ovahe beaches.
One dive site typical of the island is the Cathedral. Accessed by boat, this dive site usually has light currents, and consists of an area of kelp upon entry. As the diver descends they encounter numerous rock structures with vast amounts of corals. Divers can spot a variety of fish including the tipi-tipi (butterfly fish), maito (surgeon fish), toremu (a variety of piranha), trompeta (bugle fish), loro (parrot fish) and tuna. Anemones, octopus, sea snails and sea urchins are also plentiful.
Central Coast
The central coast, though cold, hosts an array of nice dive sites spread out over many miles. Quintay, once an important whaling station and now a museum and scientific marine research centre on the central coast, has some nice dive sites with several accessible wrecks from the whaling days. Laguna Verde and Algarrobo are also popular diving areas along the central coast.
El Falucho is a nice wreck dive for less experienced scuba divers. She lies at a depth of around 15 meters. Entry to the site is by boat only, and visibility usually runs about 17m. The light current takes divers along at a pleasant pace, giving them plenty of time to explore the riot of colorful growth and fish that inhabit the nooks of the wreck.
The currents at Lobera de Curaumilla are a bit swifter than El Falucho, making it best for those divers with at least intermediate skills. It is an interesting dive site with great marine life, though the average visibility is only about 7m and the max depth 16m. The highlight of diving here is the opportunity to see the large colony of seals that call this area home.
Diving an oil rig has always seemed a daunting task to me both in terms of accessing the site as well as taking on the monstrous-looking structure. On the surface, many people find these rusty rigs to be an eyesore, a hulking man-made blight on the beautiful ocean surface. But, under water it’s a very different story. The thick metal supporting beams of the oil rigs act as a magnet for a vast array of marine plants and animals, creating a kind of artificial reef, a haven for sea life in the middle of the open ocean. Twenty-three oil platforms breach the waters off the coast between Oceanside and Santa Barbara, with names like Eureka, Ellen-Elly and lots of other girly monikers.
Diving the rigs requires special permission. All divers must sign a safety waiver, promising not to touch the structure or harvest any of the creatures that live on the beams. Your best bet for easy, comfortable, and legal rig diving is to go with one of several companies take charter boats out to the platforms. Anchoring is impractical due to depth, and tying off to the rig is prohibited. This type of dive is best handled by intermediate or experienced divers due to the conditions. Surge is common. Visibility can be 10 feet one day, 100 the next, with 50 feet the average. Currents, too, are ever-changing and can be strong, but it’s nearly always possible to shelter behind pilings and girders. The best marine life is found from the surface down to about 80 feet. Prime diving season is generally June through December.
And when I say ‘prime diving’ I really do mean prime. The underwater structures are absolutely teeming with sea life. Upon entry and exit divers usually see sea lions and dolphins, some which may even follow the divers around during the dive. The structures themselves are covered wall-to-wall with strawberry anemones, enormous scallops and mussels, acorn barnacles, and a variety of sponges. On top of all of that growth crawl, crabs, nudibranches, huge sea stars, multi-colored brittle stars, and scorpion fish. In the water column swim a variety of fish including calico bass, sculpins, gobies, sheephead, jellyfish and garibaldi, California’s bright orange state marine fish. Fish schools are common too, with hundreds of mackerels, groups of sardines and packs of halfmoons cruising the waters together.
Scapa Flow blockship at low tide
Mention scuba diving, and most people conjure up images of warm, tropical locales in the Caribbean or the Pacific. But many places in Europe offer great diving too with the added bonus of some very interesting topside cultural experiences. In particular, the United Kingdom and Ireland offer fantastic diving, enhanced by the water that surrounds them as well as their rich history.
So, yes. The water is cold up there. In winter the ocean temperature ranges between 45-55F degrees. And, yes. The visibility is not always crystal clear, like in some warmer climes. BUT, if you get past these small challenges, there are some amazing wrecks to dive and even spots of prolific sea life to explore. Some examples:
Scotland
Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands is one of the most famous dive sites in the UK. Numerous warships from the early 1900’s litter the ocean bottom. These wrecks are in remarkably good shape, in particular the Blockship Tabarka, scuttled to prevent a submarine attack during WW2. The Tabarka is covered in sea life and offers a fascinating window into the past. On this and some of the rest of the sunken fleet, huge guns protrude from the wreckage. Sea life includes wrasse, brittle stars, large jellyfish, sea urchins, sponges and starfish, which are often seen on the wrecks and in the kelp forests nearby. Divers may also be joined by seals on the surface.
Oban, on the west coast of Scotland, also offers high quality wreck and wall dives. This area is known for visibility that allows divers to easily explore the wreckage of several ships, such as the shallow Shuna and the more demanding Rondo. The abundance of wrecks is a result of the bad weather that plagues the area. Rocky outcrops, such as Calve Island, provide interesting wall dives with faulted ledges and overhangs. The water is generally clear and green and there may be strong currents, particularly after a lot of rain. Life is abundant and varied, with dogfish, pollack, octopus, cuttlefish, wrasse, corals, crabs, hydroids, nudibranchs, plumose anemones and sea squirts being found. Sometimes even porpoises and whales can be seen here.
England
Eddystone Reef around the Eddystone lighthouse lies 10 or so miles outside of Plymouth Sound. Visibility here is okay, usually at about 40 feet. The reef is from 8 to 60 m, and encompasses large boulders, walls and plenty of crevices that encourage sea life. The numerous rock gullies are lined with kelp and house anemones, sponges and sea fans. Divers can spot dogfish, bib, pollack, congers, wrasse, lobsters, edible crabs, star fish, urchins and loads of cucumbers. Lucky divers might even spot smooth hound and basking sharks. On the way back to shore, a second dive can be made on the James Egan Layne, one of the most famous dived wrecks in the UK.
The Mohegan Wreck sits on the Manacles granite reef off the Lizard Peninsula. The bow is at a depth of about 65 feet with the rest of the ship deeper. This ship sank in 1917 after repeatedly hitting the reef. Pieces of the ship, including the boiler, can still be seen, while a great deal of sea life has moved in, including jewel anemones and coral fans. Visibility varies, but can stretch to 65 feet on a really good day. Over 200 wrecks lie around the Manacles, making it an excellent area to see multiple wrecks on a single dive trip. In the months of May and June basking sharks are regularly seen as well as orca whales and dolphins.
Ireland
North Wall, Rathlin Island of the coast of Northern Ireland is an amazing, high-vis wall dive with sometimes fierce currents. The wall starts at the shoreline with a steep descent, after which it plummets to 200m. A sea arch and a series of large sea caverns are found at depth. The kelp forest in the shallows hides healthy communities of wrasse, sea hens, mackerel, pollack, and sometimes even moon jellyfish. Huge numbers of actinithoe anemones cover the bottom, and nudibranches of many varieties can be found in abundance.
Fanore, located about 7 miles south of Black Head, offers what some call the “nicest shore dive in the country.” This Atlantic site offers crystal clear water, but is very exposed, so it can only be dived in fair weather. All along this reef there are ledges and overhangs, which teem with a great variety of fish. Lobster, crayfish, pollack, congers, ling, bib, whiting and wrasse are here in abundance. Also spotted here occasionally are John Dory, shark and even electric ray. The underwater topography doesn’t disappoint, either, with an enormous rock feature called “The Cathedral” that looms over the curious diver.
Diamond Rocks, Kilkee is a very popular, cold-water dive site situated on the South West Clare coastline in a natural break in the cliff wall facing the Atlantic. The bay is fairly sheltered, but is graced with high visibility and filled with rocks and gullies to poke around. There is a reef teeming with sea life at about 6-9m deep, which protects a deep valley about 30m deep between itself and the shore. Two circular holes at the narrow entry to the reef are often filled with crabs. The sea face of the reef falls in steps from about 20m down to 40+m, and has lots of sea life hiding in the cracks and crevaces for a diver to find. There are over twenty surveyed dive sites in Kilkee, so pair this with another of the many nice dive sites in the area for a great day of Irish scuba diving.
Fastnet Rock, near Cape Clear Island in Roaringwater Bay sticks straight out of the water and is topped by a stone lighthouse that can be explored by foot on calm days. The visible rock is in the middle of a narrow reef running SW – NE about 1km in each direction with depths of 45m. Strong and sometimes erratic tidal flows and deep water all around the rock make diving here only for the experienced during calm weather and water. But when conditions are right, the clarity of the water can be incredible, and the underwater scenery is spectacular with huge shoals of fish and fantastic growths on every rock face.